Month: April 2017

Do you know how to have a peaceful, relaxing day? Or maybe you’re like me and you wonder when the last time you saw one, or even worse, you can’t even think of what it looks like!

Don’t get me wrong–I hate being bored. It’s good to have stuff to do! But what about, when life feels so chaotic and you find yourself running in circles so fast you can’t think?! What then?

You sit down to have quiet time with God, and there are so many thoughts going through your brain….

Ever have one of those days?

I have!

I’d like to tell you about a book that I read recently. It was a great encouragement to me. I won’t say that I’ve reached my goal of peace and quiet, like I’m hoping to. But I have received some excellent advice from this book! Life is a journey, right?! 🙂

Bonnie Gray shares her heart in this book. As an adult, she was suffering from panic attacks, and it was only in going back to long-forgotten issues she experienced as a child that she was able to move on and find a deep heart rest.

It’s hard for me to put into words exactly why this book so deeply resonated with me. Maybe because there’s something deep within me, (and you?) that is searching and reaching out to fill a void, one that can only truly be filled with God’s Love. And only through discovering how to rest in God can we truly find that quietness & peace.

This book contains many soul-searching exercises and ideas to help you find your way to true spiritual rest, or whitespace, if you will.

Well, I’m back. For a few years, I just didn’t have the time or energy (mental & other) to even think about doing a blog. But I’ve wanted to. Part of my dilemma was that I didn’t know what to write about.

It feels like there’s not enough of interest going on in my life to generate much of a blog post. But I do so love reading others’ blogs. I finally reached a decision this morning. 🙂 To just go for it, and see what happens!

Maybe I’ll use this as a place to share things that I’m learning in my walk with Jesus. I’m so grateful to Him. I can look back and see growth, and yet, there is still SO Many things I need to grow in. It feels like a slow process.

Maybe I’ll use this as a place to process Mom things. We’ve kind of moved into a new stage in life. Teen/preteen years. It’s so much fun, and such a challenge, all at once! I can see more clearly now than ever that I canNOT do this on my own, I need God’s help every step of the way.

After my family, a lifelong hobby/passion of mine has been reading! (if you know me at all, you probably already know this! 😉 ) Lately, I’ve been trying to do more book reviews, as I’ve become aware of the fact that some authors are very willing to give out free books in exchange for a review. (and what reader doesn’t love a free book?!) Most of my books that I read I can get through our library system. I think the library system here in central Ohio is almost unparalleled. I grew up in Indiana, where you had to live in a town or city to get a free library card, otherwise you had to pay a yearly fee. Moving to Ohio and discovering an interlibrary loaning system, one that includes almost every book you could even think of, (and if not, there’s always the option of requesting it), and it’s all for FREE!! We love our library!! 🙂

Saying all this, I just realized that a blog would also be a nice place to post book reviews. I don’t know if I have enough readers currently, that this will be a real influence, but it’s still nice to be able to say, see my blog. 😉 At least it sounds good.

Another lifelong dream of mine, which goes along with reading, is writing a book. Christian fiction is my favorite genre, so that’s where I’d like to be. I realize there is much to choose from, even in that particular field. I think the possibilities of actually getting a book published are much greater now than it used to be, because it is easier to do it Independently. Along with that, however, it also means that the competition is that much increased, because of the flooding of books on the market.

I’ve never been sure enough of my talent in the area of writing, though, to know if I’m actually going to be able to accomplish this or not. 🙂 I read books, and I think wow! Now that’s the kind of book I’d love to write! Some authors have such a wonderful way of drawing you in with their words! 🙂

I like to post book reviews on Amazon, goodreads, and Christianbook, so I’ll probably just copy them over here. One thing with a book review, that I’ve found can be a challenge, is the balance of saying enough of a story to get someone intrigued enough to read it, without giving any spoilers. 🙂

The last, best book that I read was “The Ringmaster’s Wife“, by Kristy Cambron. This is a story about the Ringling circus family. I love reading historical fiction because you can learn so much about an interesting era in such a fun way. This book has so much depth and detail that you feel as though you are right there in the story. (I am in awe when I think of how much research must have been done to write this book!) The main character, Rose (fictional), is an English lady who was expected by her parents to marry well. But she had a horse she loved, who meant the world to her. When he was sold to the Ringlings, she ran away to go with him. Her years of practice as a trick rider landed her a contract with the Ringlings, and she had unforgettable experiences. This book gives you a look at the behind the scenes of a circus. It gives the privilege of peeking into the life of Mable Ringling, and really helps to bring this period in history to life.

sidenote here: I’ve always been intrigued by the circus, but was never able to go. Last year, we had hoped to visit the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, FL, but didn’t. This year, when we were thinking of another trip to Sarasota, I googled Ringling Brothers just for the fun of it. Imagine my shock when I began to read that the Ringling Circus is in it’s last year of performing, EVER! 😦 They had to take their elephants out of their show, and since then have lost so many attendees that felt it no longer worthwhile to continue. I also discovered that the Ringling Circus was scheduled to be in Cincinnati in March!! Hmm… 🙂 And so we went to see THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH.

It was packed. I’ve never been anywhere that I was a part of such a large audience. It was loud. And it was FUN! 🙂 We were kinda saddened that they didn’t have more animals doing parts in the show. We saw two-humped camels. We saw a tiger/lion show. And we saw dogs. The rest of the Two Hour Show consisted of people doing amazingly astounding tricks. (I warned the girls before we went that I didn’t want them to get any ideas about trying things at home 😉 ) It really was incredible. It was a once-in-a-lifetime-experience, but we won’t soon forget the fun time we had.

After just having seen the actual circus, The Ringmaster’s Wife was that much better to read! 🙂